The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) encourages applications for basic research on the structures
of membrane proteins at atomic resolution. This announcement is made together with 8 other components of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH). *

Membrane proteins play a crucial role in many cellular and physiological processes. They are essential mediators of material
and information transfer between cells and their environment, between compartments within cells, and between compartments
comprising the organ systems. Despite the importance of membrane proteins, the knowledge of their high-resolution structures
and mechanisms of action has lagged far behind the knowledge of their properties in general.

Examples of research areas of interest include: methods for over-expression of native and modified membrane proteins; methods
for isolation, purification, and stabilization of membrane proteins, including the development of new detergent and non-detergent
solubilization agents; methods for crystallization of membrane proteins and crystal manipulation that could facilitate data
collection; methods for electron diffraction, particularly for the production of suitable 2D-crystals; methods for nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of membrane proteins in solution, in micelles, and in their native lipid environments; and
methods to elucidate the organization of lipid and detergent molecules within protein crystalline arrays.